The Insiders

Three kids who don't belong. A room that shouldn't exist. A year that will change everything.

Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who's ever felt like they didn't fit in.

San Francisco and Orangevale may be in the same state, but for H ctor Mu oz, they might as well be a million miles apart. Back home, being gay didn't mean feeling different. At H ctor's new school, he couldn't feel more alone.

Most days, H ctor just wishes he could disappear. And he does. Right into the janitor's closet. (Yes, he sees the irony.) But one day, when the door closes behind him, H ctor discovers he's stumbled into a room that shouldn't be possible. A room that connects him with two new friends from different corners of the country--and opens the door to a life-changing year full of magic, friendship, and adventure.

"Sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating, but always full of heart, The Insiders carves out a space for us all to be our true selves." --Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky